Funny that I would find this thread today. Today would have been my grandfather's 100th birthday. My first real memory of fishing was when he took me to catch fish to stock a farm pond that he had dug out a month of so before. I have no idea how old I was but I was very young.

We went down to a small farm that he used to own, but had arranged a swap with the family currently living there because they had a larger farm and all their children were grown and left the farm, and grand dad's family was very young and out growing their place.

Any way very small farm pond that very few people ever fished. He got me set up and as soon as my line hit the water it was "Fish On." I would not touch the fish or bait my own hook, so I did lots of fishing and Grand dad did lots of fishing support. We ran out of salamanders as bait so he told me to us the bare hook. Tah duh as soon as the hook hit the water it was "Fish On." I was a fishing machine, I even hooked his arm while trying to cast into the pond. I did not realize that I had hooked him, I only knew I was stuck and kept yanking on the line until he yelled at me to stop. When I saw the hook in his forearm and blood I "Freaked out and started to cry."

I remember he cut the line to the hook, and walked calmly out of the field with me to the truck and drove us home. There he and Grandma took care of the hook and his arm. I remember being terrified that I was going to be in big trouble. Once his arm was taken care of, he came and found me and said," Well you caught those fish lets go put them in the pond."

It is one of my favorite memories of him, and I hope one day when I become a Grand dad that I have the patients and poise that my Grand dad had with me.